Breakfast Ideas

Good Morning ! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I’m just not too fond of the time slot.  When I was younger I was not much of a morning person.  Once I added kids to the mix I had to adjust but early morning motivation has remained a little less than… well, motivating.  So, whats a mom to do first thing in the morning when all those kids need to eat a nutritional meal to kick-start their day?  I have a list of some healthy options to meet both my kids’ nutritional needs and my snooze button needs as well.

My own mother informed me that my first choice had been around for years but surprisingly never made it to our breakfast room table.  In my search for healthier options for my kids I came across Nutella spread.  Each of my three kids loved it.  My youngest just loved that it had cocoa in it.  My oldest was convinced it was chocolate spread.  Considering peanut butter is hit or miss in my house I was glad to have a new spread option for their whole wheat toast on the way out the door.

Smoothies are another favorite in our house.  I usually stick with my trusted favorite, simple smoothie made with orange juice, bananas and strawberries.  I plan to be more adventurous in my smoothie recipes this year and I will share as they pass our “three-ring” test.  I use the orange juice with calcium in it.  We have milk allergies in our family and I try to sneak calcium in any chance I get.  Another way to make the smoothies a quick and easy breakfast treat is to wash and cut the strawberries before hand and place them in single serve size bags in the freezer.  In the morning all you do is put in the contents of the bag, one peeled banana and pour in desired amount of orange juice and ice into the blender and serve to those bright-eyed little wonders.

Eggs.  The morning staple.  My kids love them but for mornings I know we will be short on time I make sure to make up a batch of hard-boiled eggs the night, or weekend before.  My kids think this a real treat, usually they ask for another egg to be packed in their lunchbox too.

Another new idea in our house is our own version of breakfast trail mix.  This is one the kids make up on the weekend.  Anything which gets the kids involved is always a good thing in our house.  Usually we start off with a healthy cereal as the base.  Since my kids love raisins and nuts I make these available for the kids to throw in.  I like to add sunflower seeds as well.  I try to research a little and make sure the healthiest choices are stocked in our pantry just waiting for the kids to select them.  I am always pleasantly surprised at their choices.

A smooth morning makes a big difference when you have to get every little one in your house to school on time, fully dressed.  Not to mention with backpacks packed, lunches loaded, teeth brushed, and hair tamed.  The easier it is to meet their nutritional needs, the better. Good luck next week!  See you in car line.